Hilux 4x4 Forum

Hi All,

As we all know the SFA is an incredible vehicle. Even in stock standard guise these vehicles can go where others can't... But they do have there Achilles Heel :wth: ... rust ! Most body rust is easily seen and therefore taken care of quickly before it gets out hand... but there are 2 unseen spots that most SFA owners neglect, not because they don't care, just because it's out of site and out of mind... where? ... behind the front fenders! :!:

So this Saturday I decided to check for, and, if needed, repair any rust found behind the fenders... When water runs down the windscreen it enters a water escape channel below the windscreen, this channel has exit holes behind the left and right fenders. Over time sand and other debris builds up and blocks the channels, this wet debris leads to rust at the channel exits...

Yes Richard... I hear you... where da peekcha's :!: ... here da peekcha's :!: ... and explanation...

First I loosened and removed the left and right fenders, this also required the removal of the front grille and loosening of the front bumper...
In this pic, passenger fender removed, busy cleaning all the muck off with prepsol...



Pic of a section of the rust, after basic debris cleaning, in the exit hole:



Another pic of a section of the rust, after basic debris cleaning, under the exit hole sill:



During the initial cleaning I stuck a hose pipe into the water channel, take a look at all the muck that came out... scary... :wth:



Pics of the rust on the drivers side:



Then I stuck some towel inside the cabin, behind the holes, and whipped out the high pressure cleaner... only to find my dog Whiskey had found a new use for the cleaning machine... :evil:



Fixed the plug, killed the dog... drank some Whisky, and gave the wheel wells and the water channel an extra good clean , then I left everything to dry... and then I whipped out the drill with wire brushes attached and cleaned off as much rust as I could find and get to... one of the problems I noted with these exit holes is that they are slightly higher than the lowest point of the water channel, therefore wet debris builds up behind the sheet metal in the corners of the water channel... my solution was to make another exit hole at the lowest point of the water channel in the corner , this extra hole should reduce the chance of rust accelerating debris building up in the channel...



How did I make to the holes? First I drilled 4 evenly spaces holes with 3mm drill bit, then I drill the 3mm holes out with a 10mm bit, and filed the remaining edges down... by making the extra hole on the drivers side I actually uncovered a nasty bit of rust in the water channel corner(right through into the cabin)...



I cleaned out the rust holes as best as I could, then used Duram NS1 rust converter and primer, on all the cleaned surfaces... I left this for a while to cure and dry and watched some of the Sharks/Blues game ... yes I got started early... once the NS1 was absolutely dry I painted the whole area with black Velvaglo, it goes on nice and thick, coats like tar...



Ag well it's so lekker painting, might as well do the whole wheel well...



Next step, seal off the holes with flash banding, tools used... a decent scissor... one roll of flash band... a carpet knife... a raco mini heat gun... :arrow:



Once the black paint was about 80% dry, tacky to the touch, but not wet... I measured and cut appropriate pieces of flash band, then I heated up the bitumen surface of the pieces of flash band with the heat gun and applied it to the holes... this stuff really works well...

Passenger side:




Drivers side(note the bigger extra hole because I needed to access and repair the rust hole in the corner):




Once the bitumen had cooled a bit I painted over the aluminium foil of the flash band with the black paint...


This is a time consuming job, depending on the state of the water channel exits, it could take about 6-7 hours to complete. I would advise all SFA owners to take the time to inspect these rust prone exit holes, and fix any rust found. It is possible to inspect the water channel exist without removing the whole fender, by just removing the plastic protectors in the wheel wells. If your lux has unexplained water leaking into the footwells this may well be the problem on your lux! It is also a good idea to remove the water channel cover, below the windscreen, once or twice a year, and clean the water channel out with a hose pipe, you'll be surprised how much muck and debris is stuck in there! For me the next part of the job is to remove the dashboard and remove/repair the rust found there... but thats another job for another time!

Oh, believe it or not, I changed the engine mounts as well today!

B

For a SLUG to do that amount of work in one day!!!!! Unbelievable.Great job SLUG, sorry, BRETTON. I always admire people that can be so focused.Did you reassemble as well? Taking out the dash will be another ball game though. Unfortunatly it has to be done to get to the inside of the metal plates you have painted,right?
Now for the punchline........WHERE IS YOUR DOGGY AVATAR?............(traitor) :x :x :x

Thanks Hentey!

Another dog avatar implemented! Yip taking out the dash is the next step! It's not a difficult job but just another timing consuming project! I learnt another trick with the engine mounts as well... if you have suped up 4Y, like brospeed spec(exhaust/cam/flowed head) and fuel injection... the standard engine mounts seem to take alot more stick and sometimes fail... like one of them on my lux... the trick is to use the 2.4D's engine mounts(AutoQuip), they are much stronger than the standard one, weigh alot more as well... I put these mounts in, I had to rim the alignment holes on the shroud and mounting arms to 8mm, the original holes are 7mm, the 2.4D mounts alignment pins are 8mm, hence the need to drill it out... I struggled a bit to get the mounts back in and aligned to get the bolts though, especially on the exhaust side... but it done and she is much happier...

B

I think the rest of you boys are in denial... This can't happen to my lux... hence 85 reads and only one reply

snipes wrote:I think the rest of you boys are in denial... This can't happen to my lux... hence 85 reads and only one reply

What are you looking for a pat on the back?

Anyway, great idea! I now have a new project to do. (was wondering what I'll keep myself busy with once my baby is finished)

Dont worry Bretton,the guys are all busy inspecting their Luxes,and 95% will thank you cause that is a common problem on the sfa.I bet you Thys is one of them,thats why he's so quiet!!!!! 8 ) 8 ) 8 )

Thys is still fuming cause of something that happened Friday afternoon!

I'm afraid to reply, in case it's case of from my mouth to Gods ears....

I already have few spots of rust.
had rust problem with my last lux, on the top corner of the window, at the join of firewall and fender.
Not looking forward to this ordeal again.

Dalkil your bakkie will be very prone to this based on the fact that it lives on the beach the entire weekend!

B

Bretton
This is a very handy piece of information thank you sir, on the 2.4D engine mounts we use them to mount the inline sixes (turbo and N/A) also in the Hiluxes and works like a charm.

This info is so good I think we must call you OU GROOT UIL
Me and my boet had been loooking for this problem with the water in the cab for a few moons, never went as far as you.

Snooping around Hoppy's workshop on a Friday, you can pick up a hell of a lot of tips and tricks... The okes a Hilux genuis(Alan paid me the say that... )

B

Ja ou Snippies, wat doen jy saterdag?

Hoppy wrote:Ja ou Snippies, wat doen jy saterdag?

Hy gaan jou kom lastig val.

hentey wrote:Dont worry Bretton,the guys are all busy inspecting their Luxes,and 95% will thank you cause that is a common problem on the sfa.I bet you Thys is one of them,thats why he's so quiet!!!!! 8 ) 8 ) 8 )

Thys worry nie oor so ou bietjie roesies nie... Kaspaas se lyf het so hier en daar 'n roes-gewassie, maar daai sal uitgesort word as hy eendag sy full off-road kit en roll-cage aantrek.. tot dan toe sal hy hou..

Is this not only applicable to the chosen few who lives next to the coast?

I saw that RUSTYrod lives in slaap stad!

Anyway, my VW caddy bakkie also have that rubbery exit holes for water to escape that needs to be cleaned regularly!

I am still new to my SFA and will check it out, thanks!

hi everyone, firstly new to the site and already I find it so useful, love this articale on rust, I have just stripped my truck and am now on the up hill task of doing the rust etc, at least some of the work I can do myself to save some bucks...am not looking forward to taking of the load bin to get to back of the cab and the load bay etc..I must say I really battle with the front window braces and along the top of the roof though...have attached a pic of my baby, however now its all off, roll bar/side bars to be galvanized, powder coated, roof racks off, KC hilites resprayed. and get all the rust fixed up !!! its a 89 model 2.2 petrol ...

Hi Stuart, and welcome to the forum! Nice pic .... I don't see any fishing rods .... what were you doing, whale watching??

thanks alot... fishing can be quite good here...but the day in question the wind was blowing on shore hectic...so I did what i thought was the next best thing !

stubs5536 wrote:thanks alot... fishing can be quite good here...but the day in question the wind was blowing on shore hectic...so I did what i thought was the next best thing !

shooting at bottles on you r toys bonnet ag no man...

Welcome to the forum

Stuart welcome... if u make use of the information in this article it's going to cost you R 1800...


Yes R 1800... that what I paid you for the canopy and roof rack! Remember me??


Thanks for the canopy and roof rack... they've been doing duty very nicely!

mr b

ha, ha hows it brett....glad to hear... you spray ya bakkie white ?? yep Rust .. got a mission ahead of me...plus I have a bent rear drivers side leaf !! hey ho....

Zepplin(CT based) is selling a full set of OME leaf springs, in excellent nick... may be worth your while... check if the leaf purches aren't worn/bent... it's pretty common on a SFA... and there's instructions on how to fix it 100%! This I've still got to do on my lux!

Shoot I see the leafs are sold!

mr b

Hi all,,, allso new to the site. Talking about usfull information, daar's genoeg hie om n man mee besig te hou vi n lang tyd. Now allso the proud owner of a D/C Lux.(After the Lada experience....gapoe!) Stiped it down and gave it a respray myself (why pay a pro if u gonna scrach it). Scrached around under the cab and found some rust at the feet of the back passenger on the left. Was nicely hiden behind some flaky ould paint, but now there's a good reson to take those fenders off and fix the aireal after our Kalaharie trip.

Hi Jakes and welcome to the forum! Why not go and introduce yourself here viewforum.php?f=137" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
and post a pic or three of your ride here viewforum.php?f=136" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; For tips on loading photos .... viewtopic.php?f=21&t=10068" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Enjoy the forum!

Thanx 4 the advice Andy, need to learn how to drive this thing now:)

There is also another place that all double cab 4x4 owners must look at, this is at the bottom of the centre post from behind the front seats to the front of the rear seats, at the bottom you will find rust on most vehicles of this model.

A very well presented article and thank's for sharing it with us all, Admin please save and put it with the other interesting articles for future use.

where are the pics

Gunta wrote:where are the pics

Hello Hello weet jy nie waarvan hy praat nie

Rust is bad over there too, eh? Check out what I have gotten myself into:





That tan lump is expanding foam... not helpful preventing rust:




...and that's just the right-side panel! THe left side is a little better, but not much.

>>Dan

that sucks Dan but it looks like you are doing a great job! -it will be well worth the effort, should be good for another 20 years to come

Thanks! It's not mine; I'm doing it for a friend's dad who wants to keep it until the tires fall off. The money from this side-job is going towards rebuilding my new (for me) engine: a 3.4 liter 5VZ-FE. I have grand plans to get a supercharger for it since there is no way it'll be on the trail this year; so it is now a "slow build" for next season.

>>Dan

Good luck with the project.

Finished the right side this weekend; time to flip it over and do the other side...



>>Dan

NIIIIIIIICE.
beaut job

Where did all Bretton's pictures go???

thanks for the advise,im busy giving my sfa some tlc and painted the whole cab under the mats with stone chip and also stone chip under the fenders.There was luckily no rust but with the stone chip its sorted

Hows the rust fix holding up? normally once fixed it comes back over time...

Thanks for the advice. Definitely going to inspect mine when I get my SFA down to Durban.
Just bought it - a 1995 2.4L Dbl Cab Hilux Raider. Looks pretty rust clear as its been an inland car most of its life I believe.
But having lived in Durban I know how rust creeps up on you and attacks silently. Especially after seeing my first project car an old '72 VW beetle disintegrate over 2 years! Time for some diy work

whoa a lot more work than anticipated.. thanks for the write-up

I have worsening rust on my A pillars and front doors above the stays.

Feels like I'm fighting a losing battle.

Any suggestions for chemical treatments?

R

Is there any way to view the pics of Mr_B's first post?

Sjoe Tim, afraid not. It's a 9yr old post and somewhere along the line they have become orphaned from the thread and deleted. Maybe Bretton still has the pics and although not as active on the forum as he used to be, he still pops his balding head ( ) in here from time to time. With a bit of luck he might be able to re-post them for you.

When Bulldog was resprayed some years ago, this is some of the muck that we found after removing the air-flow plate between the windscreen and bonnet:
I don't have any other pictures but those leaves were from the far corners (right & left) of the plate and they effectively blocked the water drains that Mr. B. is talking about. Luckily, no damage from rust was caused.

It's a good ideas to keep those channels clean, those leaves etc that collect there can do some serious damage if left unattended.


-F_D

I had some some solid rust holes in there that have consequently been patched up - is there any reason not to seal the openings on top? Air can get to the vent intake from the sides...

I put fine SS mesh underneath mine to stop the crud getting in. Seems to work mostly.

niclemaitre wrote: ↑Tue Mar 20, 2018 8:14 am I put fine SS mesh underneath mine to stop the crud getting in. Seems to work mostly.

This would be the better and even the easiest solution IMO.

Done! Meshcape Industries makes the perfect SS mesh for anyone in the CT area.

Reading your article on rust, about 1962 in Durban one Ivan Parsons owned an old Fiat that was perfect and totally rust free when all other Fiats I looked at were rotten with rust. I asked Ivan how come?, his reply OIL, what do you mean OIL?,
his reply, when I change engine oil I rip the inner door pads off and anything else I can and pour the old oil where ever I can. In 1967 I bought a new Triumph 2000 and 2 months later stripped all I could, this included removing the aluminium
cill kick plates at the doors, There were no holes underneath the cill protectors so I drilled 4 holes one for each door.
I collected some 40 empty cans and jars and a large ball of Plasticene that was used to block all weep holes at the bottom of the doors an along the underside of the cills. I then proceeded to oil the car up using a spray gun and an oil can. The cills took some 25L of oil to fill up. Then the plasticene was removed and the oil caught using the cans. The bonnet and boot lid were held vertically, 2l of oil poured between the inner and outer skin and rotated in the vertical allowing the oil to run down the 4 sides. The door pillars I just held the spray gun at one of the holes and sprayed oil till I saw vapour coming out at the roof lining. The car stood for a week and then I put together again. I drove it for a year and and repeated the process. I sold it in 1972 and kept tabs on the vehicle and saw it in 1978, all perfect. In 1968 I did the same to my dads car only this time I got lazy and never did the boot lid, years later that was the only thing that rusted.
Years later I did a lot of work for Toyota, Metlink In Jacobs Durban Is where all the components were pressed and went into their stores, from there the pressings went to the Toyota Assembly plant, Many times when I went through the stores
All I saw was thousands of shiny bright metal components, why?, all of them had a film of oil, At the assembly plant the first stage of the process is degrease. This might help all those Trying to preserve their precious old timers.
According to the Guinnes book of records, the most corrosive place on earth is the Bluff Durban South Africa
Claude

Very interesting read, thank you Claude!


-F_D

further to my post on March 20, I bought a 2nd hand Jag xj6 that had rust in the rear wheel arch at front bottom where it meets the cill, the only way I could get oil in was to remove the rear door lock striker and squirt oil in through the bolt holes. Years later the rust was still there and had not spread at all. Doing a lot of work on car body repairs I found that on VW beetles the under body rubberizing, over time lost its bond and separated from the panel and cracked. This allowed water to get between the panel and rubberizing resulting in the dreaded rust. After the repairs had been done the entire under body was sprayed with oil, this resulted in the oil reacting with the rubberizing creating a sticky coating that over time gathered dust and another oil spray was all it got.
Claude

All this oil, Going back to my rust solution on the Triumph 2000, when it rained and you looked at the car, the water ran down the windows into the doors and out of the drain holes at the bottom of the doors and left 6 or so dirty streaks down the cills. When I opened the doors, bonnet or boot lid there was a dusty streak all the way around where the outer panel folded around the inner panel, this was dust sticking to the oil that had seeped through between the inner and outer panel, all it took was a wipe with a clean rag and it was gone a hell of a lot easier than rust repairs. all I am trying to say here is find any way possible to get a coat of oil into cavities and do it twice with a year gap between coatings.
After the first coat of oil on a new car, you let the excess drain, when you look at the panels the next day it looks clean, drive it for a year and take a look, the dust has now stuck to the oil all you do is apply another coat of oil and enjoy driving a rust free car for years,
Claude

claudevr wrote: ↑Mon Mar 22, 2021 10:27 am All this oil, Going back to my rust solution on the Triumph 2000, when it rained and you looked at the car, the water ran down the windows into the doors and out of the drain holes at the bottom of the doors and left 6 or so dirty streaks down the cills. When I opened the doors, bonnet or boot lid there was a dusty streak all the way around where the outer panel folded around the inner panel, this was dust sticking to the oil that had seeped through between the inner and outer panel, all it took was a wipe with a clean rag and it was gone a hell of a lot easier than rust repairs. all I am trying to say here is find any way possible to get a coat of oil into cavities and do it twice with a year gap between coatings.
After the first coat of oil on a new car, you let the excess drain, when you look at the panels the next day it looks clean, drive it for a year and take a look, the dust has now stuck to the oil all you do is apply another coat of oil and enjoy driving a rust free car for years,
Claude

Great story BUT if I buy a new R750k worth of Hilux today there is no way that I will take it apart to spray some oil in!

But then again, rust is not really much of a concern in the good old Transvaal.